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Accomable is sharing economy travel honed for disabled people

The growth of sharing economy businesses like Airbnb has democratised travel for millions, but for those with disabilities, roadblocks such as lack of accessible accommodation and transportation still frequently stand in the way.

Former editors of the publication Disability Horizons Srin Madipalli and Martyn Sibley, both of whom have spinal muscular atrophy and are prolific travellers, found this to be such an annoyance that they decide to rectify the problem. To that end Madipalli undertook an MBA at the University of Oxford's Said Business School and taught himself to code, before launching Accomable -- an online service to help people with mobility problems or disabilities find accessible holiday properties.

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Accomable is now in beta, but is already linking up hosts offering accessible properties with those who need them all over the world. This is only the jumping-off point for the company, however -- eventually it hopes to be able to meet all the needs of disabled travellers. "The vision for Accomable is to provide an efficient, one-stop shop for travellers with a mobility problem or disability. We want to be able to offer not only accommodation, but transport, specialist equipment hire, medical suppliers details and anything that is specialist or particularly niche," says Madipalli.

Accomable currently features 120 property listings across 14 countries -- an arguably impressive feat given that it is such a young company, though continuing that number is obviously key. The prototype of the site went live in April 2015 and launched officially in June. It has received investment from the Skoll Foundation in the US which offers grants to ventures with a social bent.

Unlike Airbnb, Accomable currently does not vet either hosts or guests -- instead it serves as an advertising platform that facilitates contact between those advertising and seeking accommodation. In spite of this policy, Madipalli explains that many of the properties are places that either he or Sibley have stayed. He is currently travelling around Europe to sign up more properties and check them out himself, and they frequently work with tourist boards that have already vetted properties.

Accomable

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Madipalli and Sibley have shared many adventures together, including scuba diving, flying a plane, wheelchair-trekking through mountains and going on a camping safari in South Africa, and hope to open up such experiences to more people with restricted mobility. "I've been a wheelchair user all my life but I love to travel and have travelled around the world. However, it's always been incredibly difficult to find reliable information on where I could stay; it's a need that mainstream platforms don't cater for," Madipalli tells WIRED.co.uk.

While Airbnb itself does offer users the opportunity to search for accessible properties, the benefit of Accomable is that it provides a detailed list of features offered by each property. This way users will be able to find out whether a property caters to their specifics needs and requirements, including whether it offers the following:

Step-free access to property

Step-free access to a bedroom

Step-free access to a bathroom

Roll in shower

Grab rails in the bathroom

Facilities for individuals with a visual impairment

Facilities for individuals with a hearing impairment

The company strongly recommends that guests check with their hosts before they travel to make sure their specific needs will be catered for, but it is also currently piloting a system where videos depicting access can be made available in listings, as well as allowing guests to leave extensive feedback. "Through my own experience and through our work with our online travel magazine for disabled people, we know first hand from our readers that there is a major need for this kind of platform. Moreover, with a rapid demographic changes, we're also getting considerable interest from people who are less mobile due to old age, but who still want to travel independently," says Madipalli.